Making the Best of Bad Decisions
by bloodredsky8
Summary: Comedy sequel to Judgement of the Six. Brothers of Light, Tomax and Xamot reminisce over their old lives and attempt to decide what they want to do with themselves. A little different from the first story, being lighter with some conspiracy thrown in. Mature rating for mild references to sex and violence.
1. Chapter 1: Offer Us the World

The radiant Brothers of Light stood absorbed in the warmth and life of their shared bond, but there was a petulant squint to their eyes. A lot could happen in a day, and a lot had already happened on this day. They had already received a lot of visitors, just like they had on the day the temples had fallen and their comfortable lives had turned to pain, then a period of being locked within each others minds, pushed into waking dreams by the helmets they had been forced to wear.

One visitor informed them of an investigation into their alleged polygamy. The brothers made assurances this wasn't true. They were life bonded with each other and would never marry. Their two powerful psychic mentors Tory and Mick had assured them they were in a position to divert attention away from the twins' humble abode, and had successfully done so for over twenty years, so why then were they being investigated now? Perhaps it was a test of some kind? If so, they felt they had done well to ease the suspicions of the investigator. Then the Brothers of Light greeted a man traveling with an eight year old boy who looked upon them in awe. He was one of their sons. The man was a relative of Sister Eve, whom he said was seeking psychiatric help for her supposed traumatic experiences. She would tell stories of demon lovers with burning eyes who had broken her will and made her do terrible things. He had traveled here to see for himself. Tomax and Xamot assured him there were no demons in their Temple of Light, which was a sanctuary of peace and healing. They invited him in to look around and could tell he was impressed by what he saw. "My sister has always been a nut," he had told them as he looked with wonder upon their bounty in shining temples and fertile farm fields, "All her life, she was forever hanging around the creepiest weirdos you'd hardly imagine could exist in this world. Then when she finally had a good thing going, she went and blew it, making up histrionic stories. I'm of a mind to tell her to cut her crap and send her back here." The twins had bowed and told the man she was always welcome, and so was he.

Their first and most troubling visitor had been Mindbender, who asked them to join the cause of Cobra Industries, which he claimed was the biomedical research company he worked for. He expressed a theory that the brothers' psychic abilities had the potential to heal people physically, in particular, he was looking for a cure for a degenerative disease affecting one of his colleagues. He had a theory that they could heal each other through their psychic bond, maybe even fade Tomax's scar if they tried hard enough. If that was possible, then it could progress to them healing their brothers and sisters and anyone who linked to them telepathically. In return for aiding him, the doctor promised riches, worldwide fame, even the use of his security to help guard their temples. Tomax and Xamot were skeptical. How could their psychic abilities work in that way? They had never seen evidence of it before. They could tell Mindbender had a few ideas, but he knew he had a long way toward earning their trust before he could begin to get close enough to study them or even ask of them to demonstrate their abilities during tests. Anyway, the twins had told him of their inability to leave without alerting Tory's Eye in the Sky and bringing everything down again.

Ah, Tory..thinking of her reminded them of a nightmare they had shared early that morning. In it, the brothers had lied together hand in hand, gravely wounded, while Tory had looked upon them in concern. She kissed their foreheads gently, while in the background, Mick had stood all salt and smoke and malicious laughter. "I'm wiping my hands clean of you," he had said, scrubbing his arms up to his elbows in the sink.. "Don't be a jerk about it!" Tory told him with tears in her eyes. They woke up shaken, each searching for the others comforting presence, to be sure his beloved sibling was safe and secure. "WHY WOULD WE HAVE DREAMED THAT TERRIBLE THING?" they had asked each other. Tory and Mick would never...they loved the Brothers of Light deeply, though Mick paid them out at times. That was always the nature of their relationship, putting up with Mick's silly perverted humor to be close to Tory, but Mick was completely harmless and without malice in his fun, sort of like them.

Mindbender had shrugged off the confining pyramid and said he could work around it. All he needed was a little time to see how the eye on it worked, then he could work on building a receiver the twins could wear like a headband that would connect them to it from remote locations. The Brothers of Light could tell that as soon as the doctor expressed a desire to put something on their heads so soon after the helmets and torture they had received from him, he immediately regretted it. He took a few steps back carefully as the brothers glared at him intensely. They probed his mind to find out if he was suppressing a motive to harm them behind all of the generous offers. All they could sense, however, was terror and thoughts of how the doctor perceived them. It was a very insulting picture. _The one without the scar is leaning into the other and staring at me from the sides of his head like a bird, first from his right eye, then from his left. I'm afraid they are going to attack me without warning, murder me where I stand,"_ Mindbender had thought, _"The scarred one is glaring at me furiously, hissing under his breath, the same as he did when I had them in my lab strapped down, while the other kept making this high pitched keening, like a banshee. No matter how many times I hurt them, I couldn't get them to stop. I finally had to sedate them and call it a day. Why did I let the commander talk me into coming back here?"_

The brothers had sensed that he didn't bother to remember who was who and didn't think it mattered because their connection squashed their individuality anyway. He hadn't wanted to think of them as humans and individuals when he was tormenting them and taking what he needed from them. How could they trust him then? They felt they had to try, in order to fulfill Tory's challenge to heal him. They couldn't force the doctor to stay, and if they refused his offer to join Cobra, he would leave, or quite possibly try to harm them and their family. Finally, when Mindbender realized he wasn't about to be destroyed just yet, he told them he could get a crew with heavy machinery to go up, chisel the pyramid off the base and load it onto a flat bed truck. Tomax and Xamot put their hands together and looked at each other, excited about the possibility of leaving on an adventure to the outside world. "We will speak of this..." Tomax began, then they turned around and left Mindbender waiting while they wandered the grounds and observed their brothers and sisters working various tasks around the sanctuary. They decided to break for lunch and make their decision while reminiscing over their old lives. Would they dare keep such terrible company?


	2. Chapter 2: Amazements

The Brothers of Light sat and ate lunch together, each chewing carefully and watching the other. Their psychic connection had become so strong they could taste what the other was eating, so each had to be careful not to bite into something the other would find unpleasant mixed with what he was having. It hadn't always been that way. During their youth as Maxime and Montgomery Paoli, they operated more independently and thought of themselves more as individuals, though they still spent time together more often than not. Their bond seemed to be more physical; mentally they could only get a sense of what the other was thinking, making it so they had to speak to each other more to communicate.

Max and Monty had been very talented; nothing seemed to be beyond their abilities. It was as if nature had given them a keen intellect and incredible agility to balance out the liability of their shared sensations. Their biggest blunder in life lied in their unquestioning loyalty to all the wrong people. On their own, the brothers could have made themselves rich and successful enough to live very satisfying lives. They didn't yet have the hypnotic charisma of the Brothers of Light, being socially awkward in the way of the exceedingly unique, but they were attractive, smart and competent at any task they undertook. They could fly a plane or drive a tank with the same ease as they could run their successful business. Unfortunately, they also had personality flaws that lead others to believe they might be psychopathic, such as seeming lack of empathy for others, enjoyment of thrill seeking behavior to alleviate boredom and the ability to bullshit their way through anything, even in English, which was their second language, being the foreign born Corsican nationals they were. In their favor, Max and Monty had the capacity for love, especially for their psychic mentors and each other. They had such a longing for the sense of family that they let people into their lives of the criminal sort and allowed themselves to be influenced by them.

Tomax remembered back to their days at Extensive Enterprises, their successful Fortune 500 corporation. They had done what any good corporate tycoons would do and legally conned their way into controlling billions. The law didn't make it easy to do this until the brothers were safely ensconced in the desert, but they had found success with hedge funds and mortgage backed securities, with a little bit of fraud, money laundering and larceny on the side. Mostly they did favors for their friends in the terrorist organization they supported erroneously. _...wasn't that also called Cobra, brother?_ One time they sold Red Rocket franchises in bad neighborhoods, giving out subprime mortgages to disadvantaged people who had dreams of owning their own restaurants, then had taken back many when loans were defaulted on, leaving them open for their friends in organized crime to occupy for the purposes of trafficking and gun running. Most of the time, dealing with the criminal element did not go well for them, and it definitely didn't end well in the long run. Regrettably, there was no longer an Extensive Enterprise. That had been the first idol to fall, shortly before the attempt on their lives.

While all of their idols displayed the twins on equal footing, mirroring one another, Tomax felt that he had been the better when it came to running a business. Though they were almost identical in every aspect, Tomax felt as if he might have been just slightly cleverer that Xamot. Not much, of course, but his focus had definitely been a lot better when it came to doing business; Xamot forever had the attention span of a gnat and needed to be directed into tasks by his brother constantly. These were the days when Tomax sometimes felt their psychic connection was an inconvenience. If they dared spend more time apart, then he could run the business, while Xamot did more work in the field for Cobra, to utilize his great energy. -But they didn't dare because field work was difficult and dangerous. They had a constant fear of unexpected pain, and if one was out, the other would be overwhelmed with anxiety over the others well-being and would be unable to concentrate on much else.

The glory days of Extensive Enterprises took place in the 80's before iphones and Windows. Xamot would try hard to work, but would quickly become fidgety and squirrely. Quite often the tension in Xamot would build so much that he'd become possessed with bizarre and spontaneous behavior, sometimes with such fervor that Tomax would get drawn into it against his will by their bond. One moment he'd be going through his inbox, signing important documents and skimming reports, when suddenly he'd find himself being flung out of his chair and somersaulted across the room. Maybe he'd get the insatiable urge to jump up on his desk, stand on his head and do a break dancing move. That would be about the time someone, -usually their secretary- would walk in on them. She would take one look at the twins contorted in odd positions on their desks with papers strewn on the floor and think, "Well, at least they're at their own desks this time."

The brothers seldom quarreled, but Tomax couldn't help but be irritated by those incidents. "You know, Monty," he'd snap, "I could work night and day and never catch up with the amount of work it takes to run this company. You need to stop twiddling your johnson all day and help me!"

Xamot would reply easily, "Come on Max..work is for project managers. Lets take a two hour lunch and pick up chicks!"

_..You're a project manager..._ Tomax would think in consternation, before he'd realize he wasn't sure he could trust Xamot with even that. Finally, he'd realize they'd been there all morning and give in. "-Hour and a half lunch. Then we come back and work."

Xamot could have a juvenile mentality too, always the prankster, but people loved him for it. One time, when they were leaving for lunch, he slapped a piece of paper on his secretary's desk. "Make sure you get this memo out to every major department head." he demanded with a wink. It was a drawing of a penis in dry erase marker on expensive company letterhead. The secretary promptly put the drawing in her desk. She didn't want it passed around; she wanted it for herself.

Back into the present, Xamot frowned at the memories. He hadn't realized he had been such a nuisance. No matter, they had shared almost perfect rapport for the last twenty years in the Temple of the Brothers of Light, where they had become closer than ever. Not a day went by when they weren't together hand in hand doing things they both enjoyed. Now he thought of it, he had had issues with Tomax at times as well. They were almost perfectly identical...perfectly in sync in all they did, yet sometimes Xamot felt like he was just so slightly keener of reflex than his brother. They were both equally strong and agile, yet Tomax wasn't as sharp at times, as if his mind were still back at the office. If they would have dared separate for long, he could have been.

Xamot had always been in a state of constant anxiety over his brother's well-being, wishing he'd stay in the office where he was safe, but Tomax demanded to be by his side in every dangerous situation. Unfortunately, Tomax had made more mistakes that could have gotten them seriously injured. Xamot was forever bailing him out of trouble, while at the same time having to experience the physicality of his blunders. Through Tomax, Xamot knew how it felt to be choked, restrained in awkward positions, drugged, burned in crashes, drowned...to name a few he could remember off hand. To be fair, it wasn't completely one-sided. Having Tomax by his side saved his life on a few occasions, but mostly his brother's presence made him a nervous wreck.

There was even an instance when something bad happened to _him_ that could have ended his sibling's life. It was when they helped the Cobra Commander fix an election. They had caught two trespassers scaling the side of the Extensive Enterprises building. The twins had hurriedly changed into their trademark sexy costumes that were a militarized version of something a figure skater would wear, fully expecting to have their usual good old fun time using their superior agility to get the best of the intruders. Maybe someone would even see how amazing they were when they gave each other the high five for a job well done. That isn't quite what happened. Instead, Xamot had been taken by surprise and kicked out a window. Lucky for him, there had been a dumpster just below to break his fall. Unfortunately, a hapless Tomax had been several stories above him in a possibly fatal distance from the ground. He had lost his balance from the shock of feeling his brother's fall and only uncanny good fortune had spared his life. Xamot had winced feeling the top of Tomax's skull skim the side of the dumpster, and the pile of broken glass he had fallen on had only managed to tear some of the spandex on his costume. If he had fallen a few inches to the left, he would have broken his neck and impaled himself.

The scariest moment of Xamot's life was the day when Tomax got the wound that had scarred the right side of his face. -Not the end of the world, a cut on the face right? Xamot's primary objective was keeping his brother safe, but sometimes he got caught in the moment and could only focus on his own safety, or maybe something would take him by surprise and mindless instinct would take over, causing him to quickly bring himself to safety before he could even think about what Tomax was doing. It had happened back in their smuggling days during a sting. They had been in trouble again, fleeing the authorities in their four wheelers. Two cops had approached Xamot from different directions on motorcycles, weapons drawn, when he felt the burning across his face. "MAAAXX!" he had screamed shrilly, going berserk. He couldn't recall much of what happened next. There had been an explosion when he crashed his vehicle into another, somersaulting at the last minute before they both slid off the dock into the water. Luckily, it had distracted the other cop, so Xamot was able to run to Tomax unhindered. His brother had managed to throw the man who cut him out of his vehicle. He picked Xamot up, and they got the hell out of there.

On the way back, Tomax had held his cheek closed, blood running down his arm, and had smiled with his eyes while concentrating on keeping his face still and sending relief into his brother's mind. _..No big deal, Monty...tried to slash my throat with my own knife during struggle..._ Calm as ever, he managed to channel an image of a knife near his neck pulled up. _..Ha, good thing.._ Xamot hadn't felt his relief; he could taste blood in his mouth and his sinuses were backed up. He had kept silent, his face still from sympathetic pain, but his mind was racing at the horror of what it might have been like to feel his brother bleeding out within seconds. Back at their apartment, Xamot had fought down his panic as he looked for their first aid supplies. He cleaned Tomax up, grinding his teeth, and put crude stitches through the worst part of his wound to keep it closed. There was no way that would be enough. They needed medical attention but who to trust? "..Aurora and Mishael.." Xamot whispered, trying to keep his lips still, though it was completely unnecessary.

Aurora and Mishael were friends of friends who ran a hospital. They didn't approve of the twins' lifestyle choices, but they would never turn away someone in need, and the brothers knew they wouldn't be turned in to the authorities under their care. Silently standing at their doorstep, looking hang dog, they had expected a little sympathy and tender loving care. Instead, they were greeted by a disgusted Mishael who pulled them in by their arms and slammed the door behind them. Tomax was treated by a hostile Aurora, who administered antibiotics and gave Xamot a box full of saline, gauze and bandages, instructing him on how to treat his brother's wound every day to avoid infection. Then the twins sulked while she went on and on about some cop with four kids who had died horribly, burning in an explosion and drowning off a dock while in the process of pursuing two low life criminals. Aurora and Mishael were like that, caring about the stupid problems of everyone on god's green earth before theirs.

The brothers had been just about to be emphatically thrown out when their mentor Tory showed up. "You two could be anything you wanted," she said, looking at them sadly, "Why do you live like this? Have I wasted my time with you?"

Tomax and Xamot looked at each other, shrugging. It was a living, an exciting way to earn money while they lived hand to hand. They had ambitions though. Someday they'd gain permanent residency or even citizenship in the United States, become rich, have their own private army, take over the world..

Years later, and all their dreams had come true, except the last, yet it hadn't seemed impossible. Tomax's scar had healed badly under his sibling's care, becoming a raw, red fissure on his cheek that hardly faded with time. Remarkably, it had become a useful feature that had gotten them out of trouble a few times. Since people had trouble telling them apart, they spread misinformation that it was Xamot who was scarred and people bought it. Their high priced lawyers would confuse a witness to their misdeeds a few times when an unfortunate Tomax found himself in custody due to not being as slippery as his twin. "Are you sure you saw Xamot? He was at a board meeting at the time of the incident," they'd say. Tomax would find freedom while Xamot lied low.

Xamot's anxiety over his brother's well being sometimes manifested itself into bad dreams. He'd wake up relieved at their connection being intact, then would feel the need to look in on Tomax, touching his sibling's scarred face while Tomax pretended to be asleep, enjoying the attention. Soon Tomax would feel hot breath on his face, and his mouth would tighten, giving him away. He'd open his eyes to see the intense, bright-eyed glare that was so typically Xamot, and they'd laugh and laugh like maniacs. Then they'd lie side by side until the next morning of their glorious lives.

The twins were always astonished and offended people had trouble telling them apart, just because they were identical in looks. They were obviously very different. To the people who admired and respected them for their great accomplishments, Tomax was the sultry intellectual who exuded a quiet sophistication, whereas Xamot was the charming conversationalist who could get a whole room laughing with the lilt he got in his voice when he told a story. Their employees, many of whom were members of their personal army, loved them. Extensive Enterprises had headquarters all over the country. Many of the parking garages had lower levels outfitted with equipment you could find all over any militarized base, and their multilevel skyscrapers were filled with every kind of employee from project managers to electricians to machinists and engineers who maintained their well-oiled arsenal who were ready to serve them without question. They were always ready to don the red of the Crimson Guard at any time when called into combat for their charismatic beloved leaders.

Thoughts pulled back into the present, the brothers sighed with contentment from the recollections of their wonderful past life selves. They had quite forgotten their intended train of thought and sat in silence for a bit, enjoying each others company and the feeling of being lost in the moment.


	3. Chapter 3: Illumination of Horrors

Max and Monty Paoli had been frightening enigmas to any who ever had unfortunate encounters with them. They seemed to fancy themselves performers with the stage names Tomax and Xamot as they walked around dressed like graceful gymnasts who happened to be armed like soldiers. They made an art out of going hands on committing atrocities for the Cobra Commander. This was unnecessary, as their primary functions could have been to stand behind the scenes running Extensive Enterprises, yet they seemed to enjoy doing things on a lark, as if they fancied being seen, demanding the awe of the public. If they were to use the resources of Extensive Enterprises to fund terrorist operations leading to world domination, then they also wanted many to know them up close and personal and be amazed. Unfortunate marks would look stunned as they witnessed the odd palindromic pair pulling stunts out of vehicles or doing acrobatics off the sides of buildings or on water skis, only to end the show with nefarious demands. Sometimes they were horrors one wouldn't see until it was too late. Enemies of the brothers might hear them cackle like demonic children having good old fun times before being grabbed, taken on a wild ride and never seen again.

Though they were identical, most people had no trouble telling the two apart. They were each horrible in his own way. Tomax was often seen with a brooding dangerous frown. He had a snobby voice, dismissing a person easily if he couldn't use him/her for something, and he had a pervy laugh and murmur when he spoke that would give listeners the chills. Tomax had this way of leaving people unsettled when he'd try to sound dashing and clever, only to promptly attempt suicide doing something reckless beyond even his superior agility. Xamot would give a bloodcurdling shriek, as if he were being torn apart, and frantically run to his brother's aid. Witnesses would see such a bizarre spectacle they'd wonder if it was part of the act, and if so, how the brothers could pull it off so convincingly. Xamot was a man of volatile emotions. Sometimes he'd sweat down his brow and get this shrillness and uncanny lilt to his voice while telling a story, as if his feet were being lit on fire. A listener would freeze, wondering why he'd get like that when they were just talking about the weather. Both brothers would often break out into laughter for no reason, as if they could somehow share a wordless joke, yet Xamot's eyes could get wide and empty while he laughed without mirth. Nobody who spent time with them would have ever believed they would become men such as the Brothers of Light, calm and at peace with the world.

The sun was hanging a bit lower in the sky when the Brothers of Light started lazily rubbing each others backs. They had fallen asleep where they sat after lunch, which wasn't unusual for them. The brothers blinked in confusion as they were approached by Brothers in Red: Franz, Dennis and Isaiah who were escorting Mindbender and two others. What was he doing here? They looked into his mind and sensed he was impatient waiting for a decision from them. Oh yeah, that was it. They also knew he wouldn't express his feelings for fear of offending them. "Are you not enjoying our hospitality?" Tomax asked while Xamot stared at them sharply. They were both perfectly relaxed but would give the appearance of offense at a moments notice if required.

Mindbender changed the subject by introducing his colleagues. "This is the Baroness Anastasia Cisarovna..." he started, waving to a bespectacled woman with a dark, wedge shaped haircut. The twins needed no introductions, as they could read their minds. Anyway, they had seen her before. She was there some of the time when the doctor held them prisoner. They stared at her balefully knowing her thoughts were divided between wanting to hurt them for fun and having a desire to see them strapped down securely again with muzzles on for good measure. She had been unnerved by their ability to make her abandon her free will entirely, forcing into hand-to-hand combat with the doctor.

"...and this is my boss Adam deCobray." Mindbender finished, gesturing toward a man with most of his face obscured behind a mask. The twins could tell Adam was fascinated by them as he invaded their personal space. They saw in his mind a desire to touch them, and thought nothing of it, as they were forever surrounded by disciples who wanted to pat and fondle and admire them for their angelic beauty. Using their psychic gift, the brothers looked under Adam's mask and saw that he appeared to be about seventy, missing an eye and half his face from a degenerative disease. _..Ah, so he is the man...the doctor is hoping to cure with our powers..._ they thought. Nobody went unloved for long in the Temple of the Brothers of Light, and the brothers were enthusiastic about making it their top priority to give Adam their full healing attention.

"You may stay the night..." "..We will give you our decision in the morning.." the brothers said. They told the three Crimson Guard they weren't to be disturbed for the rest of the day, then turned their backs on all and walked to places none were allowed to follow. Alone once more, they reminisced on their old lives.

_..If only we had our old Crimson Guard back.._ Xamot thought, _We've never had such an army that respected the power of our wills since._ Tomax nodded. Many members of their old army were battle tested before being asked to join. The brothers never had it in them to murder someone outright, yet their commander had often used them as a scare tactic to punish his enemies. To be fair and merciful, as was their nature, they'd give the victim a fighting chance, putting him through a test of his might. If the hapless soul survived, then the twins would spare his life and offer him a position in their private army. Few survived and fewer dared refuse them. They were both enthusiastic about their Crimson Guard, training soldiers to be amazing in their own elite image, although they claimed it was all for the glory of Steve.

Steve was the real name of the Cobra Commander. Nobody was supposed to know the man's name or what he looked like, but the twins were able to figure it out by looking into his mind. Their psychic abilities had been unsophisticated back then, but reading a name was simple enough and to get an image of his face, they sought of memory of what the commander saw the last time he looked into a mirror with his face exposed.

Steve was like a father to Tomax and Xamot, seeing in them amazing potential that could aid him in his goal of world domination. He had used his connections to help sponsor them for their American citizenship back in the day. They showed him respect and absolute loyalty, allowing him to be their figurehead, though they knew they could usurp his authority at any time, being the ones controlling the money and resources. The commander was a volatile man who would berate the brothers and even strike them sometimes when they displeased him, but they would take it passively knowing that he trusted their loyalty completely. They weren't above making fun behind his back though. _..Steve...Steeeeeve.._ they'd think to one another, subtly winking. Sometimes they would think too hard and perhaps project their thoughts into the Cobra Commander's mind in way he didn't comprehend. He'd suddenly get a chill down his spine and turn around, glaring at two identical men standing straight side by side with blank expressions. "Why do I suddenly have the willies?" he'd think, "It's not like they are doing anything, just standing there."

There were a few occasions when the brothers didn't accept his authority; those were during matters of each other. Once Cobra was involved in a rolling blackout scheme that would have made Enron look tame. Tomax had gotten himself arrested by the G.I. Joe Coast Guard while they were out sabotaging the energy supply with their control cubes. In typical Tomax fashion, he had carelessly allowed a soldier to come up from behind and put him in a choke hold. Xamot had fled, the uncomfortable pressure on his neck almost making him incapable of shouting words of encouragement. Later, the Cobra Commander and his cronies had stood frozen in amazement while Xamot jerked on the ground, mirroring the beating Tomax was taking in a remote location. The strength of their bond was such that Xamot had been able to pinpoint his location on a map. He expressed a desire to mount a rescue mission. "Absolutely not," the commander had said, "We need you here. Anyway, you need to stop being so dependent on each other. Tomax will be fine sitting in a jail cell for a bit. They aren't legally allowed to harm him."

Xamot stared at him in wide eyed incredulity, still smarting from the beat down he had received via the psychic bond. "You don't know what it's LIKE!" he said with his characteristic shrillness, "If they decided to torture Tomax, I wouldn't be any use to anybody! I wouldn't even see it coming! It could happen five minutes from now, five seconds.." He cringed, his eyes darting around wildly.

"You need to get your suit and power tie on and make sure Extensive Enterprises doesn't become connected to this!" an unsympathetic Steve had replied.

Xamot froze. "Er...um..yeah, that's another reason we need Tomax back. He is better at that kind of thing. I'm taking Crimson Guard to rescue him now."

The Cobra Commander waved his fists furious at the insubordination. "Don't expect me to bail you out if you get into trouble!"

"Of course you will!" Xamot snapped, "You won't get any funding from Extensive Enterprises without our approval. -Still leaving!"

There had been a man standing next to the commander during this exchange. He had a freakish metal plate over his face and was dressed like a pimp with a big campy red dyed fur ruff around his neck resembling the hood on a cobra. "Perhaps the Joe should have made the choke hold a little tighter. Then we could have had both of them out of our hair for awhile." he said.

"The thought of that makes me very happy right now, Destro," the commander replied.

Though he was out of view, Xamot flipped them the bird behind his back. "Oh, screw you, Destro and Steve Steve Stevety Steve..." he muttered under his breath. Then he had a terrible thought. He imagined the G.I. Joes getting out the water board. "Don't be a hero, dear brother. I'm coming!"

The Brothers of Light had a moment of silence, mourning the loss of Steve. He was gone now, died in an explosion shortly before they were brought to the temple. "Remember when Steve got angry with us and beat us over our back and shoulders with the pointer for the bulletin board? That was hilarious." Xamot said. Tomax nodded. It happened shortly after Xamot had rescued him. He hurriedly tried to do damage control, but Extensive Enterprises had already gotten a mention on the news in connection with the rolling blackout scandal. Steve had been livid. The brothers had pretended to be frightened of his wrath out of respect, running out of the room and screaming in high pitched voices like preschool girls to be funny. When they were alone, they started laughing like fools, then both had the same thought at the same time. They grinned at each other and said, "LETS MAKE STEVE PROUD OF US AGAIN."

Back at the Extensive Enterprises twin towers, the twins let out villainous laughs and said, "..We shall unleash the ultimate weapon..." "..that will create the biggest barking dog the world has ever seen!" Regrettably, they'd have to sacrifice one of their towers to do so, and they hoped the people who lived and worked in the structure would have enough time to evacuate before their rocket was detonated. The Joes would be able to stop it before it did more damage, -they counted on that- but that wasn't the point. They were hoping to use the massive property damage to spread misinformation that Extensive Enterprises was a victim of both a terrorist attack and corporate saboteurs who wanted to tarnish their good name. Both were pleased when their scheme worked smoothly.

Shortly after the tower went down, Tomax and Xamot were visited by Tory. "What did you do?!" she asked them, shaking her head with wonder.

"Don't worry..." "..we can share.." the two replied with a nonchalant attitude.

Neither brother knew, but their old psychic mentors The Six had held a meeting to determine what to do about them. Aurora and Mishael had demanded that they be evicted from the group and put to death for their many crimes against humanity. Things got heated when Petra and Donte spoke out adamantly against the idea, and offered to take custody of them. "We need to spend more time instructing them so they fit in with our ways," Petra said. Max and Monty were the odd couple out in every way. While The Six waited to find the fourth side of their pyramid, they never thought it would come in the form of two life-bonded males, brothers, who lived lives of randomness and misjudgements, to put it lightly. If they blacked out one side of their pyramid now, however, they'd have their long lives ahead to regret it. Their younger members hadn't even reached the full potential of their powers yet. They should be looked after.

"They aren't children," Tory had replied, "..and there's no way you could force them to be imprisoned. They'd struggle against you." She saw them as being more like natural disasters who went around causing havoc indiscriminately and without malice. They took a vote that came up four to two in favor of keeping them alive, yet all agreed that something should be done. The six of them had finally come to a very messy compromise that would satisfy their curiosity about what the brothers were capable of. They didn't have the right, but neither did Max and Monty have the right to mass murder people while committing acts of terrorism.

When Tory visited Tomax and Xamot that day, it was to both warn them and give them a second chance. "Disband your army and cut ties with Cobra," she demanded, "I have seen in the future that you will be murdered by your own friends." She knew she was wasting her energy. The Crimson Twins were full of themselves and their great power and were confident in their invincibility. -Or at least one of them was. She tried one more thing before leaving. "Watch yourself Max," she warned, "They will go after you first." Tory was satisfied with the terror she sensed was flooding Monty's mind.

The Brothers of Light were puzzled by that memory. It was the first time they had remembered that conversation with Tory since that bit of foresight had come to pass. _Which of our friends...would have done us in?_ they wondered.

It wouldn't have been Steve, since he had disappeared in an explosion. They were confident is wasn't Destro or the Russian chick he was dating. They had been buddy-buddy with him, even hanging out sometimes. He was the perfect wing man, being in a relationship and having a freakish appearance. Nobody looked twice at identical twins dressed as figure skaters when standing next to a guy with a metal plate on his face. It wouldn't have been that Major Bludd guy. He owed them after they had his back and got him out of trouble. The brothers were sure it wasn't those dirt bag bikers the Dreadnox. They were on the payroll and would have lost a tidy income with their disappearance. Anyway, they would have seen them coming and could have easily dodged them. The gunman had come by in a nondescript black vehicle, kind of like what you'd expect FBI to drive, and took them by surprise while they were vacationing. What about that wild rocker guy Zartan? Nahhh...

When that last name came up, Tomax chuckled. "Remember when I pranked you?" he asked.

They had been helping Zartan, who was a master of disguise, pull a fast money extortion scam, causing mass hysteria with a supposed alien invasion. "I'm taking two specimens for examination," an alien costumed Zartan had said. Tomax and Xamot had used their acrobatic skills to make witnesses believe they were being beamed into a convincing UFO. Once aboard, Zartan and Tomax had conspired to quickly throw Xamot onto a table and cuff his hands. Xamot, who had a phobia against being restrained, got panicky. "Relax, brother," Tomax had said with ease, cuffing one of his own hands, "Our alien friend wants to do twin studies." Xamot did relax because he knew they were dealing with Zartan, who was a freak and always a lot of fun.

"You got me that one time. Jerk." Xamot said with a wry expression. They couldn't think of who would have shot them, but they supposed it didn't matter. Everything had turned out for the best, and there they were. Now, what to do about Mindbender? They supposed that would work itself out too, while they were busy not giving a damn at the moment.


	4. Chapter 4: Layers of Lies

The Brothers of Light were still pondering their options, undecided, when Brother Franz announced unexpected guests in the form of Petra and Donte. They looked at each other, curious as to why they'd come back so soon, and without the rest of The Six, so they went to greet them personally and find out. Petra and Donte looked disapprovingly at the presence of Dr. Bender and his cronies. People all over the sanctuary shuddered as they felt the presence of two ancient and powerful beings in their midst. The brothers took them to a comfortable room where they could speak in private. "Forget about this foolish task Tory set you out to do," Petra said, "The doctor is a self-centered paranoid loser. He plans to double cross you the first chance he gets."

"Yes," Donte contributed, "Tory feels there is a lot you could learn from him, but he and that woman he works with are destined to be sucked into a wormhole and sent to who knows where, which is no less than what they deserve, considering their long term plans having you two in their custody."

Tomax and Xamot were touched. Did they come all the way back out of concern for their safety? Petra frowned, perturbed about something; they weren't sure what. She asked them, "Back in the day when you recovered from your gunshot wounds...do you remember anything about that day, or what happened around the time Tory sent you here?"

A memory came up in Tomax's mind, reminding him why they -or mostly he, as Xamot wouldn't have shared this memory- had always been a little bit fearful of the incredible power of The Six. Tomax had come to awareness knowing he was seriously injured, yet strangely, feeling no pain. He was paralyzed, however, and couldn't open his eyes to see or move his lips to speak. He could hear Petra in the background speaking to Tory gravely, saying, "Maybe it would be best to let them go. They'll never be the same if we bring him back. We don't even know what this will do to Max..how much pain it will cause." Tory had replied, "Of course not, what do think the point will have been?" Tomax became distressed. He hadn't wanted to be let go. ...Monty...Monty.. he sent into Xamot's mind, seeking his comforting presence, but Xamot had never seemed so closed off nor slumbered so deeply. They usually slept at the same time and even dreamed together. Had someone given his brother a powerful sedative?

Donte answered his question tersely, "When Tory found you after you had been shot, she didn't bother checking for a pulse on Monty. He was clearly dead. The theory we are to accept was that he had been standing in a position to receive most of the fire, and your sympathetic pain sharing would have caused both of your bodies to jerk from the impact of the bullets, confusing the gunman into thinking they were hitting both of you. The truth is, Max, you hadn't been fatally injured."

Xamot suddenly remembered that day, when he had done what he always tried to do his whole life, shielding his brother from danger. He caught an image in Donte's mind, of himself lying in a pool of blood touching hands with Tomax. His teeth were dark with blood he had coughed up taking his last breath, and most of the blood they had been lying in was his. It had been mercifully quick, over in a matter of seconds, almost a relief considering the anxiety he had felt every day since Tory's warning. "How am I alive now?" he asked, confused, struggling to remember anything. There was a gap in his memory; he would have to rely on his sibling's recollections.

Petra enlightened him, "Your psychic connection preserved your life. We believe that Dr. Bender has an idea of this possibility, and that is why he has a sudden interest in having you join forces with him. Maybe he went too far torturing one of you in his lab? Who knows, but on the day you were killed, Max was able to preserve your life by sending his vitality into your body, keeping your mind alive, making it possible to revive you. On the same token, your death was creeping into Max, causing damage to his body. It would have eventually killed both of you, unless we were able to sever your connection, but nobody knows how to do that. You are Siamese Twins of the soul, but so intertwined that it's impossible to know what is connected to where.

The brothers looked at each other horrified, more at the idea of having their connection severed than at dying. Tomax spontaneously embraced his brother, feeling his warmth and light flood his body and mind, overwhelmed with love and guilt in equal measure. He had recently said some horrible things to Xamot, about being selfish for taking punches for them, but really he was the selfish one. Their whole lives, Xamot had always been there when he needed him, -had died for him- but the one time Xamot needed him, Tomax had been furious and prideful. When they were being tortured in Mindbender's lab, Tomax had shut out Xamot's tears and cursed his weakness. He felt like more of a jerk remembering how Xamot had cried about being helpless to defend him. It was always about him. Xamot always put his brother before himself. He could sense Xamot was hurt all over again at the memory, but he felt love and forgiveness flood his mind at the admission of guilt.

Petra and Donte gave them a moment, being both touched and bemused by their exchange. They could hardly remember how it was to be so young and vulnerable. Finally Petra asked them, "What else do you remember?"

Tomax and Xamot remembered awakening to a long recovery process, sitting quietly, lost in each others thoughts. They remembered having to relearn how to speak and perform every day functions as simple as feeding and dressing themselves. They were helped by all members of The Six, even Aurora and Mishael, although because of their lifestyle choices, they seemed to treat the twins as a nuisance as much back then as now, and looked upon Tory and Mick with resentment and disapproval. Tory and Mick had been like doting parents, so fond of their boys that they weren't filled with quite so much moral outrage over their misdeeds; Petra and Donte even less so because they were only concerned about aiding their own. The twins sensed a tension in them, as if they were holding back something important. "You are very lucky," Donte told them, "Your psychic abilities brought back life in one of you, but in the process could have made both of you severely disabled. We were wrong to doubt Tory, but we disagree with many of the details involving how you've been treated by members of our group, including the reasoning behind why you were sent here. Do you remember that?"

They did. They had been hurt and confused, believing Tory was sending them into exile, to punish them for the sins of their past lives. Tory assured them she was giving them a gift, a home where they be themselves and heal in peace and comfort. "You should stay as long as you need to, in order to make new connections in your minds and become the incredible people you are meant to be." What she hadn't counted on was that they'd make connections alright..with other people when they started wandering in seeking answers they believed people with extraordinary psychic abilities might provide.

"We did wrong by you," Donte said, "During your first couple of years at the sanctuary, we looked in on you and saw you were getting along well. Then, as what happens with people our age, the years rolled by quickly as we dealt with other responsibilities. Before we knew it, twenty years had gone by, and Tory was contacting us with stories about some of the horrors -or rather the misguided judgements- that went on here."

Petra added, "We were outraged when we found out you had been allowed to be tortured. If we would have known, we would have went in and brought you out. Some believed you were supposed to have learned a lesson by it, but it would be incorrect to believe your crimes against disciples you genuinely loved could be compared to the actions of a madman who delighted in tormenting you, and who would have used you until he took everything you had, then thrown you away like garbage. We were disappointed by the attitudes of Aurora and Mishael as well, especially when we learned they had wanted to let Mindbender make you disappear. They've been generous and nurturing toward every stranger they've ever met, withholding judgement and showing kindness. It's astonishing they'd look harshly upon two of our own. You should have come to us first."

They were right. The brothers felt perturbed by the unfair treatment and realized they had committed another act of cowardice seeking help from Aurora and Mishael, who were the least intimidating if not the best allies. "I fully expect you to make a mockery of what we do." Mishael had told them on the day they were brought here.

"It would have been better for everyone if we had been the first to find you back in the day. Anyway, we came here today to ask you to come with us." Petra said, "It appears that time has indeed healed you, but we'd like you to stay with us for a while so we can be sure. You can even bring your family with you if you'd like." Tomax and Xamot read a desire in their two mentors to study them, but not in the same way as the evil doctor. They had a genuine interest in observing how two of their own would have weathered an experience like theirs, especially two with such a unique bond. Petra and Donte observed the twins for a moment, looking deep into their eyes and minds, searching for the least hint of something off about them that would indicate permanent damage. They seemed so still and quiet compared to the Max and Monty they used to know, but that could fully be blamed on focusing their powers incorrectly. Still, it would be good to spend some time with them to be sure. They wondered..were these the same two guys who could thrill seek and run a successful business? Now the twins seemed so overcome by their senses, as if every day being was too much for them to take in. _Is this what you wanted, Tory?_ Petra thought, then remembered how Tory had told her the twins had all the time in the world to adjust. They certainly had been capable of organizing people to work the land, becoming productive and self-sufficient. They had also used technology to steal every dime of their disciples' money, and violated people they had conned into worshiping them as divine beings. That's as good as they could have done at Extensive Enterprises.

Tomax was still holding Xamot, hesitant to ever let go again after hearing of his near death. Now he understood his sibling's anxiety over the scar on his cheek. With that thought, it occurred to Tomax that, while he had his scars, Xamot was without blemish, his scars being all on the inside. If he had been shot to death, wouldn't he have marks from it?

Donte sensed this thought in him and answered, "Monty died for you, but you lived for him. We thought we were going to lose you both several times, but your will to heal your brother held steadfast." Tomax recalled instances of sudden agony, then a weariness of mind that made him start to slip into a deep sleep from which he'd never awaken. Members of The Six would feed him some of their energy and whisper encouragement to him. "Monty needs you, Max," they'd say, "Stay awake for Monty." At those words, Tomax would become more alert.

Petra continued with the rest of the story, "We positioned you both on your sides, touching, facing one another, the best we could. Then we helped Max 'remake' Monty with his psychic energy so that his body would be whole again. We believe someday you'll be able to do this on your own, even if one of you passed in such a way as to leave no remains. You are still young and have the potential to live a very long time. You have a long way ahead to grow into the full potential of your powers."

Tomax remembered this remaking. He had felt like he was being ripped apart. It had been a terrible shock, but so worth it now he knew the reason. Neither brother had ever dwelt upon this part of their lives much, but they knew that ever since, their bond had become stronger, more vivid. They felt each others thoughts and sensations more keenly now, and their psychic abilities had seemed to grow to god like proportions, even if they weren't as vigorous and athletic as before. They had become living angels, loved by many, cheating death and growing in power so much that they felt able to take on the world.

Petra and Donte did not approve of these delusions of grandeur, but they understood them. After all, they were young once, but couldn't have been nearly as bad as Tomax and Xamot, or could they have? -Probably not. Looking back on their lives, they had never made mistakes that would make them suffer anywhere near the bizarre consequences as the Brothers of Light had. They had never surrounded themselves with such bad company. "Tory had wanted to keep you here indefinitely, the theory we are to accept being to keep you safe from yourselves and those who would harm you." Donte said sternly.

Tomax and Xamot looked at one another with a sense of foreboding. They felt strongly there was something that they weren't getting or something being kept from them.

"Yes, the accepted theory..." Petra continued, "..was that your brush with death affected Tory badly. It isn't right to keep you here though. It's time you left this place and took your rightful places as one of us. You need to be treated as equals; none of us have the right to take liberties with your lives." Then they went silent, waiting for an answer.

"WE WILL GO," the brothers said without needing much thought.

Later, when the excited brothers were alone, they prepared to leave and made their plans, and they were to be THEIR plans. "We are forever being jerked around every which way..." "..It's time we figured out what we want to do with our lives again." -But then they had the same strange thought at the same moment. "What would Petra and Donte have done if we would have..." "..Refused to go with them? Would they have left?" They pictured Donte grabbing one of them under each arm and carrying them out unresisting, as they were at this time terrified of denying their mentors if ever they demanded obedience. Mindbender could go to hell; memories of captivity was still fresh in their minds. A random thought appeared, one of the doctor walking the dazed twins around and around a maze of rooms and hallways, to prevent them getting blood clots in their legs. -Or was that Tory after they had been shot? They were about to put themselves in the hands of two powerful beings who looked upon them like indulgent parents who possibly didn't care what they did. -But what did Petra and Donte do? -Or Tory and Mick for that matter? They knew about Aurora and Mishael's passion, but awareness of what the other four did with their time was hidden from them. Would they ever find out? Would they ever know who shot them? What would the future hold for the glorious Brothers of Light? They had incredible psychic power; many things were known to them, but they didn't know everything. "It's not as if we are asking for much.." Tomax said. Xamot nodded in agreement. They were asking for too much, however, acting as if they had a choice. For all their delusions of being divine beings, they were like Steve, like Mindbender, like their disciples and everyone else on God's green earth who were figures put into positions in a world someone else created. The Brothers of Light looked at each other with bright intensity, laughing and laughing at the insanity of it all.


End file.
